How to fix Wi-Fi network issues on your iPhone and iPad

While your iPhone or iPad should have no issues connecting to Wi-Fi or holding on to a strong signal, issues do arise from time to time. Under iOS 6 many users have been experiencing Wi-Fi connectivity issues. Symptoms have ranged from no signal, to pages not loading within Safari, or the inability to connect to a network.

If you're experiencing any of these issues, follow along for a few tips of correcting network issues.

Forget the network and re-join

Forgetting a network and re-joining it can sometimes kick out bad Wi-Fi settings and allow you to connect normally again. It's the quickest way to see if your issue will correct itself or if you need to explore the problem further.

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

Tap on Wi-Fi.

Now tap on the blue arrow next to the name of the problem network.

Tap on Forget this Network at the very top.

Tap on Forget when the menu prompt confirming you want to forget it comes up.

Tap the Wi-Fi tab in the top left to return to the previous screen.

Now tap on the Wi-Fi network name in order to re-join it.

Type in your network password if you have one and then hit Join in the upper right hand corner.

You should now see a checkmark by your network name again indicating that you joined it successfully.

That's it. Open Safari or another app that requires web access to be sure that you now have network connectivity. If you don't, move on to the next section. If you do, that's as far as you need to go.

Reset iPhone and iPad network settings

If you're still having issues after re-connecting to your network of choice and you are sure it isn't your router or home network, resetting all your network settings may solve the issues. You won't lose any media or content except for networking settings. This means you'll have to re-enter logins and Wi-Fi passwords as they'll be completely cleared.

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

Tap on General.

Scroll down all the way to the bottom and tap on Reset.

Tap on the option to Reset Network Settings.

If you have a password lock on your iPhone or iPad, you'll be asked to enter it now.

Once your device reboots, try connecting to a Wi-Fi network again to see if the wireless connectivity issues have been resolved. If not, continue on to the next step. If Wi-Fi is once again functioning properly, you don't need to continue on.

Restore your iPhone or iPad

If issues keep persisting, it's a good idea to do a complete software restore to rule out any remaining software issues. If you aren't sure how to completely back up and restore your device, you can check out our guides on how to restore using iCloud and how to restore using iTunes.

Swap your iPhone or iPad for a new one

If you're still experiencing issues after attempting all of the steps above, all is not lost. If you're under warranty, we'd suggest heading to your nearest Apple store and explaining to them that you've tried all of the above steps and still experience issues with Wi-Fi connectivity. Most likely, they'll swap your device out for a new one or can troubleshoot further to figure out the root of the problem.

DIY repair the Wi-Fi antenna

If you aren't under warranty and don't to pay for an out-of-warranty replacement device, it may be a good time to DIY repair it yourself. While we don't yet have guides for everything, we've already got a large amount of DIY repairs covered for iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and more.

Check them out and see if it's something you're willing to fix on your own. If not, you can always use a mail-in service such as The Pod Drop where a repair will most likely run you a lot less than an out-of-warranty replacement from Apple and come with a warranty.

If you have a repair place by you, just make sure you're asking questions about what kind of parts they use and how long they warranty their work for before committing to using them.

Reader comments

How to fix Wi-Fi network issues on your iPhone and iPad

Sometimes it can be your WiFi router. Before doing the above, turn the WiFi router off, wait 30 sec, then turn back on. Then reset it, buy finding the small hole in the back. Use a paperclip. and push down on the reset button, and hold at least 30 sec. The router will reboot. That can solve a lot of problems. If you do not have the router plugged into a surge protector, get one. Even a cheap one it better than nothing. Little power surges, can cause the router to get corrupted, or do strange things. Thanks Allyson for a great article.

I was thinking the same thing. However, sometimes resetting the router isn't enough to fix it, eitherWe got an email on our show from someone who was constantly having to reset their router. If resetting your router it doesn't work, make sure it has good ventilation, update your router's firmware or consider installing DD-WRT. Here's the episode when we answered the question. http://dmbl.co/e20 Thanks for a great article, Allyson.

Actually unplugging the power to the router is enough to reboot the router, if you press the tiny reset button with a paper clip then you are resetting the router back to factory defaults. This could be a bad mistake if someone has customized their router with Static IP information, or NAT for gaming.

On a lot of routers you can set it in the firmware to automatically reboot once a day or once a week. I've done that on every router that has had problems and it takes care of it like a charm. Again, if the firmware doesn't have that feature, it's DD-WRT time, or you could always put the router on an old fashioned outlet timer. :-)

This is very helpful for iPhone users. For iPad however, you can go to http://www.ipadhelp.com/ipad-help/my-ipad­-cant-connect-to-wifi-how-to-f­ix-the-problem/ as there is a step-by-step guide explaining how to fix﻿ any iPad wifi problem and there are screenshots so it is easy to understand what to do exactly

I saw this fix on another post and can attest that it works. I suffered from dropped connections and forgotten passwords, on both an Ipad1 and Ipad2, on both a Netgear and a TPlink router. Solution - Always use the Other option to manually enter network name, security type and password.